“Pale Shadows”

There’s a confiding tone to Bradford-born singer/songwriter Laura Groves’ voice, one that extends a tender invitation into her world. As a member of Nautic, she took a sultry turn over horizontal funk, while her former folk-pop guise Blue Roses was veiled in pastoral allegory. Now, recording under her own name, she sounds stronger and surer than ever. On the deliriously wistful “Pale Shadows”, from her forthcoming solo EP on Bullion’s DEEK label, she uses memory like a paintbox, muddling together vivid moments and letting the accumulated emotion wash throughout the song. “All of the walls break down,” she sighs, as the song’s pitter-patter percussion fades out, leaving her words to echo round the brain.